By Jessica McSweeney and Christopher Harris
For a tense few hours on Monday morning, a small passenger plane circled Newcastle Airport as those below watched on, transfixed by what seemed like a looming catastrophe.
The 13-seat passenger plane had a major problem with its landing gear, meaning its pilot would be forced to perform what’s known in the aviation industry as a belly landing.
The plane took off at 8.30am from Newcastle Airport bound for Port Macquarie.Credit: Nine News
If it went well, everyone would survive. If it didn’t, the plane’s metal body could bounce down the runway – sparks could fly, the fuel tank might ignite, and the plane would burst into flames.
While those on the ground watched white-knuckled with fear, those in the air were relatively calm for one good reason – pilot Pete Schott was in the cockpit.
Schott had learnt to fly a plane before he could drive a car, aged 15. The 53-year-old Queenslander had also spent about 300 hours as a flight simulator instructor guiding wannabe pilots on how to navigate this same situation he now found himself in. But some things were unexpected.
“Everything was thrown at us: bad weather, the showers came through, there were about 20 pelicans downwind – you know, bird hazards,” he told Nine News.
Pilot Pete Schott speaking to Nine News after he successfully landed the plane.Credit: Nine News
“I never had any doubt in the outcome of the flight.”
Bound for Port Macquarie with a 60-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman on board, he notified traffic controllers of the situation with the plane’s faulty landing gear soon after takeoff. Not only did he not panic, he likened the challenge to a game of football.
“It wasn’t a nervous time. I had [lots of time] to think about everything,” he said.
“I’d spoken to pretty much every expert engineer I could find in the country.
“And about an hour before, I started preparing for the landing mentally as to what I was going to do. It was almost like a football player, executing what I had to do.”
The plane landed successfully before 12.30pm on Monday.Credit: Nine News
Circling the airport about 50 times to burn fuel and reduce the risk of immolation on contact with the ground also had its challenges, but in the end, landing the Beechcraft Super King Air about 12.15pm was “quite textbook”, Schott said.
“People told me it looked smooth from the ground, it was very smooth from the air,” he said.
On landing Eastern Air Services twin-turboprop aircraft, the emergency command centre which had been set up erupted into cheers.
Michael Reynolds and his wife after the plane landed safely.Credit: Nine News.
When they safely disembarked, the two passengers on board from the Central Coast, Michael Reynolds and his wife appeared calm considering how they had spent the previous few hours.
“The pilot, he did a wonderful job, he was awesome, 100 per cent calm all the time,” he told Nine News.
NSW Police Superintendent Wayne Humphrey was among the emergency services who had gathered at the airfield and had been communicating with the pilot.
“It was a great result, really well done by the pilot,” he said.
The plane circled Newcastle Airport about 50 times after an equipment failure.Credit: FlightRadar24
“I could hear him on the air. He sounded very calm.”
Eastern Air Services group safety officer Shane Moore praised the actions of his colleague.
“The pilot did an amazing job … He has thousands of hours of experience,” he said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is gathering reports from the pilot and aircraft operator and has not yet decided whether it will investigate the incident.
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